


The British Rose

by kells04



Category: Super Junior
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kells04/pseuds/kells04
Summary: June 2017. Six months had passed since the greatest tragedy of her young life. Alone in this world and haunted by memories of happier times, she dropped everything and left the life she knew behind to move halfway around the world. From the small island of Guernsey, off the coast Normandy, to the bustling city of Seoul, South Korea.This move will bring her to him. He, who will bring love and laughter back into her life.But he is not an ordinary man, and this will not be an ordinary tale.
Relationships: Lee Donghae/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**_Prologue_ **

As a young girl, she had dreamt of this moment time and time again. She had never considered that her loving father would not be here at her side. She had never considered that her dearest mother would not have been there to put on her veil. As she walked forward, past all the people that had come, all she could do was stare at him. He, who surpassed any dream she had as a little girl of her prince charming. He, who was gazing at her with tears in his eyes, as he took in the vision her walking towards him. As she walked towards him, her vision shrouded by a veil of white, she could not imagine herself in a better place.

“Dearly Beloved…”


	2. Their Tale Begins

**_Chapter One_ **

**_Their Tale Begins_ **

Our story begins at a local elementary school in Seoul, South Korea in June 2017. It is night but a lone light shines through the windows of a room onto the paved concrete of the parking lot. Outside, tourists and locals alike chatted on the sidewalks as they went to nearby restaurants, took walks in the park, and got their nights started at the hottest clubs in Gangnam District of the nation’s capital.

However, inside the school, a lone person worked away, ignoring the sounds of the outside world. She was new to the school, new to Seoul, new to the country. Rosemary Benson had arrived a week earlier off an international flight at Incheon International Airport with several bags and a small inheritance to her name.

Newly graduated from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Studies in History of Art and Visual Studies, she had grown up on the island Guernsey, in the English Channel, off the coast of France. The twenty-three-year-old had accepted a job as an art teacher at Seoul Doseong Elementary School in Gangnam District. She was working late, preparing her classroom and lessons for the upcoming year. 

Half-Korean, half-British, Rosemary had not chosen to move halfway across the world to South Korea by chance. Her mother had been born nearby in Suwon, grew up there, and had left the country 30 years ago, cast out by her own family. Rosemary was a mix of her two parents; her facial features screamed Korean but her curly, light-brown hair that dusted her shoulders was from her father. Her eyes were as green as the grass that grew up to her ankles around her childhood home in Guernsey.

She should not be here. She should not be in the very same country that her mother had left all those years ago. What Rosemary would not give to not be alone in this world, to feel her parents’— _No. Don’t you dare go there, Rosemary. It will do you no good._

Hastily wiping away an errant tear that had fallen, Rosemary decided that was enough for tonight. The hour had fallen late, and she was physically and emotionally exhausted. It was time to return to her modest apartment.

She sighed and turned off the lights of her classroom, extremely pleased at the amount of work she was able to accomplish today. The young teacher was beyond grateful that the school had hired her and was looking forward to meeting her students in the coming weeks. She walked down the darkened hallways of the school, her purse hanging of her left shoulder and her bag on the other arm.

“Rosemary-ssi? Finished for the night?” The security guard for the school stepped out of his office to greet her. He was a kind man, who made sure to know all the teachers by name.

Rosemary smiled and nodded at the old man, bowing her head. “Yes, ajusshi. I hope you have a good night.”

He made sure she was safely out the front doors of the school to lock up behind her. “You as well, Rosemary-ssi. Please make it home safely; it is late.”

Rosemary walked down the street, past the emptying restaurants and filling clubs, their music pounding out into the street. She looked up at the night sky as she walked, wishing she could see the stars like one could see on Guernsey. Seoul was just too bright; the city never seemed to sleep. The skyscrapers brushed the darkened sky.

Fifteen minutes into her walk back to her apartment building, the crowded sidewalks thinned out as she entered a more residential area of the district. Rosemary’s heart thudded in her chest when she heard drunken laughter ahead of her. A group of men stood underneath a streetlamp, three sheets to the wind. As she neared them, the catcalls and whistles began.

Cringing, she tried her best to ignore them and kept her head down. She should just be able to walk quickly past them with no trouble, right? However, luck was not in the young girl’s favor, as it had not been for the past six months.

The men stepped in front of her, laughing and lude comments filling the quiet night.

“Excuse me,” Rosemary said, trying to make herself sound braver than she felt. She clenched her purse tightly.

The men only laughed louder. “Want to go have a good time, baby?”

Shaking her head, Rosemary side stepped away out onto the road, immediately gasping in fear when one man grabbed her arm. “No, please stop,” She pleaded, tears filling her eyes.

The man ignored her, bending down and grabbing her butt as his friends laughed and egged him. Rosemary was shaking as she tried to push him away, now screaming her protests. _Someone please help me._

“You’re mine now,” The man slurred, his eyes bloodshot.

“YA! POLICE!” A voice shouted from in front of her, a light suddenly shining in her eyes.

That was all it took for the drunken men to bolt. Shocked beyond belief, Rosemary slowly collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. She put her hand over her eyes to block out the light shining from the police car. One man in uniform slowly walked towards her with his hands in front of him, as if to show he was not a threat.

“Agasshi? Are you okay?” The officer spoke in a deep voice as he neared her on the ground.

The officer was several inches taller than her. As he came closer, she could see his short dark-brown hair underneath his hat and his dark-brown eyes gazing at her in concern and anger. Anger? No, not at her. At those men that dared sexual harass a young woman.

He appeared to be several years older than her, his jaw was defined; Rosemary could now see the muscles defined underneath his shirt as he bent down in front of her. He was handsome and she found her breath catching when he gently put hair, that had fallen on her face, behind her ear. His touch left a blazing fire behind on her cheek.

“My name is Officer Lee Donghae. You are safe now. My partner is calling those men in on the radio and another squad will pick them up.” He softly reassured her, frowning in concern as tears fell down her green eyes. Donghae felt like he could cry himself in anger and sympathy. “What is your name? Do you live nearby?”

Rosemary nodded, feeling inexplicably safe and secure with the handsome officer. “Yes. I am Rosemary Benson; I was working late at school; I should have left earlier.”

Though surprised at the unfamiliar, foreign accent that accompanied the fluent Korean, Donghae shook his head in disagreement. “No, this is not your fault, Rosemary-ssi. But it would put my mind at ease if we drove you home.”

All the famous idol, from Super Junior, could do was take in the vision before him. Rosemary Benson’s curly, light-brown hair that was braided back, her green eyes that reminded him of the meadows in Mokpo, her pink lips that trembled as she expressed her shock. Donghae had seen countless beautiful women in his life but Rosemary had a quiet beauty that was charming.

It had crossed his mind if she recognized him. However, that did not seem to be the case; if she did, she hid it well. In fact, she did not know who he was; she had never been the type of girl to closely follow K-pop, or current music, for that matter. Sure, she enjoyed music and went out to bars whilst at Oxford, but she had never been the girl to wake up early to see her favorite singer on a morning show or followed them on social media.

“Thank you, janggyo-nim. Thank you; I, I-” Rosemary choked up, lost for words as she tried to convey her gratitude towards the attractive and kind officer.

Donghae lightly shushed her and reached for hands to pull her up off the concrete. Her hands felt small in his and she felt even more protected and secure at how his hands just _fit_. Both knew how the night could have gone, if he had not shown up on scene when he did.

Donghae guided Rosemary to his squad car as his partner picked up her bags. The British girl tried her best not to lean on him, but she knew she failed in her efforts. Yet, Donghae seemed to be very understanding and made no movements to distance himself from her. He knew she needed the comfort of law enforcement, even if she did not know that he was a member of the famous Super Junior, and only had two weeks left in his military conscription.

Donghae stopped when the pair reached the car. He realized the young woman beside him would have to ride in the back. He apologized, bowing, “Mian haeyo, you will have to sit in the back, Rosemary-ssi.”

Rosemary shook her head, brushing away his unneeded apology. He and his partner were so kind and gracious; they were under no obligation to give her a lift back to her apartment. So, she quickly climbed into the backseat with no complaint.

“It’s alright, janggyo-nim. Do not--“

She was cut off as Donghae interjected, “Please, call me Donghae, Rosemary-ssi. No honorifics.”

Rosemary tested out his name on her lips. “Do not worry, Donghae-ssi. I will be fine in the backseat.”

The idol, turned policeman, nodded and closed the door before climbing in the passenger seat of the car as his partner climbed in the driver seat.

“Where is your apartment, Rosemary-ssi?” Donghae asked, turning to his head to look at the young girl.

She pointed in the opposite direction that the car was facing and said, “It is down the road only a couple more minutes.”

The car set off down the road and Donghae once again reassured, “We will see you safely home.”

The young girl bowed her hand in thanks, “Thank you, Donghae-ssi.”

“You mentioned that you were at the school late. Are you a teacher?” The young Korean man thought that being a teacher was an extremely admirable profession as children were truly the future.

Rosemary nodded and replied, “Yes, I am an art teacher at Seoul Doseong Elementary School. This will be my first-year teaching, actually.”

Donghae was surprised. He knew that she was younger than him but was she a recent university graduate? “Really? I am sorry if I am incorrect, but you do not sound like you are from Seoul. Did the teaching job bring you here?”

Rosemary looked away from the striking brown eyes and out the window at the passing neighborhood. The hole in her heart and soul that her parents had occupied ached worse than it had earlier that evening. “Oh, um, in a sense. I needed a new start; to get away from England. I was born and raised on a small island near France, but my mother was from Suwon.”

Donghae cautiously paused at the past-tense that was used when she referred to her mother. He could tell that the reasons behind her move to Seoul were not happy. If this pretty, young woman had lost her mother like Donghae had lost his father, he wanted to offer any sense of comfort and uplifting words that he could. Yet, he did not want to pry, especially with his partner also in the car, though the man seemed to be tuned out of their conversation.

“I am very sorry, Rosemary-ssi, but I think Seoul Doseong Elementary is lucky to have you. Did you study art at university?”

Rosemary found herself returning his kind and handsome smile. This Lee Donghae was the nicest person she had encountered since she had left Guernsey. “Oh! Turn right up here, please. Yes, I graduated from Oxford University in England this past spring. I went there for my bachelor’s and then continued with a master’s. What about you, Donghae-ssi? Are you from Seoul?”

She wanted to know about him, to talk with the officer who had saved her. Yes, she was not blind; he was extremely good-looking, but she already knew that there was more to him than that. That was not what drew her to him. He conveyed this aura of goodness that reminded Rosemary of her late grandpapa. The man who accepted the young, Korean girl into his home as his daughter-in-law without a second thought.

Donghae shook his head, “No, I grew up in Mokpo in Jeonnam. I moved to Seoul for…work, for more opportunities, as a teenager.”

Rosemary recollected that Jeonnam was a province to the south. Growing up, her parents had decided that she would know about her Korean heritage; her mum had spoken to her in Korean since she was a toddler, taught her traditional Korean recipes, and told her about Korean culture. Her mum had talked about her childhood in Korea with fondness, but the stories had not gone further than her mum’s elementary years. Her mum’s parents and relatives had never been mentioned, for good reason.

“Mian haeyo, this is so embarrassing, but Jeonnam is a southern province, yes? My mum could have forgotten all about her life here—and maybe she should have—but my papa wanted me to grow up knowing about my Korean heritage,” Rosemary said.

Donghae grinned as an image of his coastal hometown popped into the forefront of his mind, “Yes, Jeonnam is to the south next to Gyeongnam. Mokpo is a coastal city that touches the Yellow Sea. I think it’s great that you know about both of your heritages. Is your apartment just down here in that complex?”

“Oh, yes, it is. I love the sea. In Guernsey, our house was on the hills overlooking the English Sea. We could hear the waves crashing against the cliffs in all the rooms. My grandpapa would say that he could smell my mum’s hotteok and kimchi from his fishing boat,” The young girl reminisced; her tongue could almost taste the fresh sweetness of hotteok and the tangy kimchi.

“If you don’t mind me asking; how did your parents meet? Your eomeoni grew up in Suwon and your abeoji is from Guernsey?”

Donghae’s interest was very much peaked in this young, British art teacher. He was enjoying their conversation and wanted to find out as much about this foreign girl, as he could, in the short time they had left together in the squad car. The famous idol did not want to part with Rosemary.

A crash resounded in Rosemary’s ears as she thought about her beloved parents. Donghae did not know; he had only asked a simple question, one that would be easy for any other person to answer.

Her voice was shaky as she spoke of her parents’ history. “They met in London in 1987. Papa was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and mum was an exchange student. They fell in love and mum returned to Korea. Um, things did not work out with her parents and she went back to papa. They were married shortly after.”

In fact, Rosemary’s mother, Seung Ra-woom, had been disowned by her parents for falling in love with a non-Korean. She was cast out—erased from her family’s history—all her hope and trust dependent on the man she loved. As such, talk of Ra-woom’s family had practically been forbidden, a taboo subject, in the house. Rosemary did not even know the names of her maternal grandparents, or if her mum had had siblings. However, this loss of knowledge was not something that Rosemary had ever blamed her mother for; she could never understand why or how her maternal grandparents could disown their daughter on a thing she could not control—who she fell in love with.

The young man was shocked at this information. As someone who was very close to his family, he could not imagine choosing to never see them again. Not seeing his father ever again was not by choice, but by his father’s untimely death from cancer.

“It was your grandparents’ loss, Rosemary-ssi,” Donghae confidently stated.

His partner interrupted their conversation, asking, as the car came to a stop, “Is this your apartment building, agasshi?”

Rosemary glanced out her window, gaining her bearings. Indeed, it was. She nodded, a quiet affirmative coming from her mouth. She did not want to climb out of the police car; did not want to leave this attractive and kindhearted officer behind. Though he had inquired about her past, this was the longest amount of time that she had felt contended—happy—since her parents’ deaths.

As Rosemary made not motion to open the door and Donghae was frowning up at the stone building, Donghae’s partner nudged the younger man, breaking him from his thoughts. Sighing dejectedly, Donghae opened his door and climbed out.

He opened Rosemary’s door for her and took her hand, helping her out of the car. After making sure she had her belongings, he closed the door and Rosemary’s hand dropped from his. She stared at the concrete, thoughts swirling in her head; how was she to say goodbye to Donghae after such a short period of time? After what he had saved her from?

“Ya, who said you could take your hand back?” Donghae whispered, lifting her chin with his left hand, taking her own left hand in his right.

 _Oh my._ Green quickly met brown before looking down once again. He noticed the light blush that dusted her cheeks in the streetlamp. Seeing Rosemary blush in response to him, Donghae wanted nothing more than to kiss her cheek in that moment.

“Donghae-ssi, will you, will you walk me to the door?” Rosemary quietly requested; her gaze fixed on the badge pinned to his uniform.

She wanted to receive every remaining second, she could with him. She prayed that he and his partner did not receive another call on their radios.

Donghae squeezed her hand and said, “I was hoping I could.”

He needed to make sure that she walked through the door safely, not out of duty as a police officer but as a man who felt an indefinable connection with the girl before him.

They turned from the squad car and slowly started walking to the front door of Rosemary’s building. There were a handful of people on their side of the street and the other, but Donghae’s focus was purely on the girl next to him. He knew that the group of girls down the sidewalk, who looked as if they were arriving home after celebrating a birthday, would not be able to recognize him.

“Thank you again for-”

“I am lucky-”

The pair spoke at the same time. Rosemary giggled, Donghae smiling at the sound.

“You first, Rosemary-ssi,” He said.

She looked earnestly into his, wanting to convey her emotion and gratitude, “Thank you again for rescuing me, Donghae-ssi. Could you thank your partner for me as well?”

Donghae assured Rosemary that he would pass on her thanks to his partner. He replied, as they stopped in front of the door, “I would save you again if I had to, Rosemary-ssi. Please call our department if you need anything.”

He wished he could have also told her to ask for him, but his military service would be over in a mere two weeks. He continued, “I am lucky to have met you, though not under the circumstances. Please have a good night and good luck in your first-year teaching.”

Rosemary unconsciously swung their connected hands back and forth, smiling up at him. A sappy smile appeared on Donghae’s face. She did not realize her own beauty and sweet personality.

Rosemary replied, disagreeing, “No, _I_ am the lucky one to have met you. I liked talking to you, Donghae-ssi. Please finish your shift safely!”

A horn was honked. The partner knew that it was time for them to continue their shift. Rosemary’s hand clenched Donghae’s at the beckoning sound. Her time with this striking man was at an end.

“Good night, Rosemary Benson. I hope to see you again,” Donghae caressed her cheek with his thumb, a melancholy smile on his lips. 

He had to see her again. Donghae also knew he had to message his brothers—the members of Super Junior—when his shift was over. He needed to tell them about this girl.

Rosemary breathed deep, releasing it in a _whoosh_. She took in his handsome features, his smiling eyes. “Good night, Lee Donghae.”

Rosemary quickly turned away, knowing she had to walk inside. Who would have imagined her quiet night of working would have turned out like this?

Their hands remained intertwined until the very last second, until Rosemary left his presence. Donghae walked backwards to the waiting car.

As the door to the apartment building closed behind Rosemary, Donghae turned to his partner. He said, “I am going to marry that girl, hyung.”


End file.
